the line runs for 75 kilometers between the border town and the important regional city. afghanistan is a landlocked country. nearly half of all the goods it imports pass through here. security is a major concern amid the taliban insurgency. police officials stand guard along the tracks. they transport daily loads of flour and other commodities. rail transport is cheaper and faster than using afghanistan's treacherous roads. >> for the reconstruction of afghanistan, the railway is very important and it's growing the economy of afghanistan. it's important and we needed this in afghanistan. >> for now the freight trains are mostly carrying imports. the carts traveling back across border to uzbekistan are usually empty. afghan government has plans to use railways to boost the country's export capacity. experts estimate afghanistan sits on a trillion dollars worth of natural resources including oil, iron, gold and copper. once mines and oil fields are activated, the government intends to export the resources by rail. afghanistan's expansion receives support from the internati